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Differential Patterns of Female Labor-force Participation Surrounding the First Birth
Journal of Marriage and Family 44,2 (May 1982): 407-420.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/351549
Cohort(s):
Young Women
Publisher:
National Council on Family RelationsKeyword(s):
Childbearing; Educational Attainment; Family Resources; Fertility; First Birth; Well-Being; Work Experience; Work History

Five years of panel data from a national sample of Young Women age 14 to 24 are used to examine patterns of female labor-force participation surrounding the birth of the first child. It is argued that declines in labor-force participation prior to the first birth and increases in participation following the birth will vary by education, economic well-being, and prebirth work experience. In each case the differential patterns of participation surrounding the first birth conform to the hypotheses. A case is then made for the importance of recognizing the conditional nature of this dynamic relationship.